Once again, Grow Africa played an active role in this year’s AGRF and hosted two agribusiness investment sessions on the prevailing situation of the rice production, processing, and marketing systems in Africa and showcased recently launched Country Agribusiness Partnership Framework (CAP-F).

The CAP-F breakfast session showcased the robust role CAP-F plays in supplementing CAADP country investment plans by stimulating private investments. CAP-F is the mechanism through which engagement between the private sector, producers and the Government will be structured to accelerate private sector investment in agribusiness and agro-industry. CAP-F will also provide a mutual accountability mechanism where all players can be held accountable for their role in transforming Africa agriculture.

In recognition of the importance of private sector investments in developing agribusiness value chains in African countries as part of the operationalization of the CAP-F, the session themed “Driving Regional Value Chain Development in Africa: Rice Value Chains” provided a forum to discuss roles of different providers to support goods and services delivery including governments, financial institutions, and processing technology providers. Partners who attended the session includes USAID, GiZ, EU, UNDP, AGRA, CAADP non-state actor, Rabobank, AUC and NEPAD.

The Rice Value Chain session aimed at supporting the development of initiatives and strategies of various links in the Africa rice value chain in order to: (i) modernize farming systems, (ii) process and enhance the value of local production, (iii) facilitate regional trade in order to curb external dependence of the continent in rice, (iv) promote rice development environment.

Like editions prior, this year the AGRF announced several new business contracts between the private sector, small and medium enterprises, and communities of smallholder farmers, especially in commodity value chains of interest to smallholder farmers. These included a Grow Africa announcements of a US $ 223 million potato production and processing deal between BlackPace Group and the governments of Rwanda and Nigeria.